Hello World!

Ok, wow where do I start?! So, this last week has been PACKED! Can you believe that I only have 12 days left in the MTC, today was the official 1 month day! Que en el Mundo?!?! But yeah, I feel like it has been 2 days! It has just flown by soo fast. I am going to miss my District like crazy! They are all soo awesome, and we are all soo close. So later today we are supposed to get Travel Plans and see exactly when we leave the MTC and fly out! Cool huh? Also, our hermanas did NOT get their visas.... :( so later today they get their reassignment until the visas are completed! Wow, it's like a second mission call! CRAZY!

So some Fun news about the week...let's see, Oh Elder M. Russel Ballard came to speak with us, AHH! Soo so so so cool, we were all freaking out. They never tell you who the speaker is until right before the devotional starts. So cool story to go behind this...

When we were getting to the devotional it was PACKED! There are 3,400 missionaries here trying all to sit in an auditorium for 2,500...so there is as large overflow area. We got there early and still barely got 4 seats, when we were trying to get seats Elder Taylor's usher friend said, "Better sit down quick-it's someone good tonight!" So we were freaking out! We sit down and see our hermanas walk up, but there were NO seats in the whole place...we tried to find them spots but it was impossible. So at this time, all the elders in my distcrict decided to just give our seats to the hermanas and we would just go sit in overflow. BOOM. We made the hermanas take our spots. We were on our way out when Elder Heaps said that we should exit another way than we usually do to just check one last time. As we are walking out, at the perfect time an usher raises her hands with 7 fingers in the air! So we rushed over there and sat down, but we only got three of the seats. LUCKILY, there was ONE more seat 2 rows behind that for my companion to sit in. It was such a blessing to be able to sit down and hear an apostle speak - I know us getting seats wasn't a coincidence, but the Lord helping us in our simple desire to obtain seats. AWESOME.

So next, have any of y'all seen the new Mormon Message?! SOOO GOOD! With Pres. Eyering talking to us! He says something really cool in there, "If the foundation of faith is not embeded in our hearts - the power to endure will crumble."Cool huh. That hit me hard. We have to have that faith in all of our hearts, to push forward and always have a smile on our face. This gospel is a gospel of joy! I would never want to tell someone that with a frown on my face! Elder Ballard said something really cool when he was here, "If you know you know you can do this...you can!" Just make sure you know that you are able to serve a mission!! Awesome!

Also yesterday we had the opportunity to host new incoming missionaries  Really cool experience  I was able to host 7 kids. Really fun and one Elder I hosted was going to LB English speaking! It was so weird to do this. Seeing all these missionaries with their families for ther last time for 2 years! Some cried and some just said, "see-ya" and walked away with a smile! Haha Really fun opportunity to be at the TOP of the MTC chain...But I know when I get to LB it's right back to the bottom :) hahaha. It's just crazy to think that was me getting out of the car over 4 weeks ago! What?!

So this last week another disctrict left and another new one came. We now have 4 new elders and 6 new hermanas. They all seem pretty nice. The SPOF this time is Elder Ditton, he is acting like he is from Argentina and they all believe it. Haha funny. So every night right before we all go to sleep - the Zone Leader likes me to say a story for some reason. So yeahhh....the Taco Bell "incident" is still following me around! Hahahaha They all think it is hilarious.  Also if Mike Claflin is out there reading this...they love the Nipple Story...that's all I am going to say...haha.

Oh yeah! So cool - 58 new mission huh?! Wow that's awesome! And I get a new mission president in June, can anyone get me some info on him or something?! I can't seem to find anything. Congrats to all my freinds who got their mission calls! So cool! I would challenge all of you now to go back and read 3 Nephi, Chapter 11. AWESOME and really look for things that can pertain to you.  

Ash- Que el Capricho es esto? About to have the baby and not tell me?! haha ok ok jk ;) But really wow! I can't believe this is coming up sooo fast! I am soo exicted to hear all about this little baby boy! Keep me updated ok?! I hope all is going well wth your blood pressure and all - I pray for you all the time! Just relax and take it all in! Sounds like you have been busy for a while! haha The sister missionaries there seem legit! Bet they are loving their mission! Will I be able to call you when I'm at the airport?! Also tell Brad congrats for me! That is so awesome! Yay! Also, I wanna take the same mission pics as Bryson, send me some of his so I can prepare :P haha.

Kait- Wow!  Va a Costa Rica  en Que, 7 dais?! sooo, listen am I going to be able to call you from the airport, cause you will be in costa rica at the time...how is this going to work?! How is work going and how is all the fam out there? Are you getting nervous for the flight?! I bet not - you're a pro traveler! :) haha Remember Japan and that guy in front of us who would not sit down!?! haha And the nast chicken stuff that was gross and we looked around and NO ONE else has the chicken?! hahaha So funny. Yeah, skiing will never be as good as CO but still cool! haha Who did you go with?! Bet you showed them up. ;)  

Dad- Hey! So is it snowing in Colorado?! ;) haha jk, but wow! Yeah that seems fun to be there, take advantage of it and go skiing or something! Take Brother Stoker with you and make it a Bro trip! haha, But yeah! That's so good to hear that all is going well. So listen, I met someone out here that knows the Lancretes in our ward (one of the less active memebers) and she said her and her family are SUPER close with them! So you should go and talk to them about her. Her name is Amielyn Evans and she is going to the Louisville  KY mission, Spanish speaking! Good mission oprotunuty right there. :) Also Dad, that's cool about the interviews and stuff! Have fun choosing!  

Becky- Thank you sooo much for the package! I love those gummie worms and so does my whole zone ;) haha, Thanks for keeping me updated with all the mad weather out there! That seems...fun ;) haha, I'll tell you how the warm weather is when I get to LB! haha I'm glad that it was able to kinda clear up though and to have the sun to come back out!

Ok well, now I'm off to go do laundry and see what the rest of the day holds - maybe write some letters and practice conjugating! haha. Love you all and I'll let y'all know if I get my flight plans today!

Until next week

Love,

Elder Schooff

Connor!

Devo

Me and JUDD! 

TONS OF FOOD!! hahah I don't know what to do with it all.

Hellllllllllooooooo World!

Hellllllllllooooooo World!

What's up with all of y'all?!?! This week flew by!! Wow I can't believe it is already Pday again! What in the Heck?! Again today, we went to the temple this morning and got celestial breakfast. :) That is the breakfast in the temple in the cafeteria there, and wow it is soooo good! And it is super cheap too.

For the rest of the day I don't have too much going on. Write a couple of letters, read out of Our Heritage (great book) and do laundry! Also...let me just tell y'all I LOVE DOING LAUNDRY here...weird huh! Considering how much I hated it at home! haha But here is...fun?!?! 

This last week we received another district with 7 elders and 4 hermanas. About 600 total come in this week- so not as crowded as last week! The new guys are pretty cool but it's just so crazy to think that that was only me 3 weeks ago! Next week we get to host, that means we get to go up to the car for the new missionaries and grab their bags and help them settle into the MTC! It should be fun! I honestly can't wait!

Spanish is coming slowly but ever so surely! I really am glad for the struggle of it, it will make it just that more worth it to go and share the gospel with people in their native tongue! Cool to think of.

There is a gnarly sickness going on here that has been here for WEEKS! Everyone has their cycle of sickness, I was sick last week - before me this girl in the district and now my companion is sick!! It's like a wildfire here!

Also...my flight plans should be here next Thursday, is that not insane to think about?! We get them next week and then from there, we actually go to the field!! WAHWOO!! I can't wait to get there, don't get me wrong. I LOVE THE MTC but I want to really get out there and share this gospel with everyone that I come in contact with!

I would just like to thank you all soooo much for the letters and dearelders y'all keep sending me! I LOVE getting them and I have tried to write you all back, but snail mail is pretty slow! Just remember that I love you all!

On Tuesday Harper-Smith and Shipp left to go on their missions. Man I love those guys! They were my ZL's and did so much to welcome me into the zone. It was great, we woke up at 3:30 to go send them off. Sad but looking forward to the future to see them all again! They are going to do great things!

What happened with the POPE?! I heard something about that yesterday?!?! Didn't it happen like a week ago?! I guess that just shows how busy we really are here!

I was asked to give a "shoutout" to my good friend Casey Nixon- so if youre reading this I love you.... :) haha and thanks for the office updates. ;) Have they done anything about the camera crew yet in the show?!

Thanks all for the Valentine stuff! So nice of you peeps! I feel so loved. :)

I wanna know where y'all are getting your mission calls, let me know! I heard about Tanner's and Greg's! Sounds fun y'all! Tanner, Russia fits you perfectly!!

Ash- When are you due exactly again?! Is it on the 11th or 12th, if it is the 11th I could maybe call y'all from the airport and talk to you about the new baby boy!! Decided on a name yet? :) WoW I am sooo excited for you!! Ahhhhh send me more pics, I love the pics you email me :) But i cant download them and print them off, I can see them just not enlarge them cause you you aren't allowed to download things on these Comps. Can you send me more physical copies of pics, of the fam or whatever! Especially Ava!!! I love that little bean, how is she doing?! Glad to hear your new house is in order and all is going well!! That backyard is HUGE!!!!

Kait- Sup. hahah, getting ready for Costa Rica?! I told everyone that you are a dental hygenist and you gave me my tooth brush for free and they were all freaking out! I don't know why...haha so yeah I feel sooo cool. Hows the world out in VA?! Good I hope! Love YOU and write me!!! Make sure you send me pics of your trip, printed out pics!

Dad- howz it?! What the SNOW!?! That seems like a blast blowing the snow, if I was there I probs would have helped ;) haha jk. It's snowing here too. Also I love hearing you are doing well! I think for the first time ever I might have gotten up earlier than you. I got up at 5:30 today... actaully wait no..that's probably not true. Dang. You get up sooo early always! I dare you to sleep in till like 8:30 one day. Do it for me Paps. ;) hahahha Good luck on your talk dad! All those points you sent me sound great! Check out D:C 122 or something, the last two verses are awesome for a motivational boost to know you can do it!

Becky- those pics are crazy! Wow that is a lot of snow. Thanks for sending them. Was is hard to find the mini horses, cause the snow looks about as tall as they are. ;) haha! How is work going? I bet you are excited for the summer to go riding! Misty getting more confident? Have fun!

This last week Dad, when you sent me that letter it really hit me hard. especially at the end, you said, "Time's flying...make the most of the day...Don't dilly dally." That for some reason hit me soooo hard! I'm taking your advise to heart. This last week was super crazy and I didn't know where to go with it; what to study, what to teach, or where to start?! But I had faith it would get better and when you said that it was exactly what I needed to hear! Thank you for that! I am going HAM always now!!

Well all I love you! Keep writing me :) I'll talk to you next week!  "A mission isn't a sacrifce, it's a blessing waiting to be received."

Elder Schooff

Stick to Your Task  

Stick to your task, 'till it sticks to you. 

Beginners are many, but enders are few. 

Honor, power, place, and praise  

Will always come to the one who stays. 

Stick to your task, 'till it sticks to you.  

Grin at it, sweat at it, smile at it too. 

For out of the grin, and the sweat, and the smile  

Will come life's victories after awhile.

The district

The district

Elder Taylor and I

Every week when someone leaves we do a temple walk and they give us their leaving advice (that is the district who left on the bench).

My two ZLs Shipp and Harper-Smith

My whole zone

Me and Harper-Smith

Shipp and I

Me and Elder Read, or (leer) he is going to Toast's mission! 

Family!

Hello my family!!!

  

Wow, I love the MTC! This place is so great! And honestly it seems like the time has just sped past me, it is so crazy! When I first got here everyone told me to just make it till your first Sunday and it will fly by after that...well that is sooooo true! The days just seem like hours now that it is going by really fast! Today in the MT, is my Second Pday! And it is great! Every Pday we wake up and go to the temple at 6:00 and it's the best! It is always so nice to have a temple so close by and have the opportunity to go every week!

I would also like to thank all y'all out there for writing me! It is the best feeling when you open up that mailbox and there are letters sitting in there! I LOVE to hear from all y'all! And I love to write back too!

This last week we got two new investigators  their names are Louis and Balfre. Balfre's father just passed away two weeks ago, so we are trying to work with him as much as we can! They are both really sweet people who have pretty rough lives though. It is amazing how much you feel the spiririt and go off it here. We could have an awesome lesson planned, go in there and don't say one thing that we planned and it is still an amazingly sucussfull lesson! I really love my Discrict, they are all awesome and we are basically to the point where we are like brothers and sisters (considering the fact that we are together 10 hours a day haha). So today my district is officially not the new one, a new discrict came in yesterday with about 950 more missionaires too. The MTC is at its record high right now at about 3,800 people, and about another 1000 next Wednesday. WOW. Considering the fact that the MTC was only built for 2,800, this place is going to get crazy!! Every Tuesday we get to do service and guess what we have been doing?!?! Yup! Assembling bed frames for new missionaires! haha, There are usually only 4 people to a room but now it is 6, and still only four desks and 4 closets! It's all about sharing here.

On Monday our ZLs leave and it is going to be so sad! They are the greatest guys I know and such an inspiration to me to just keep going! What is kinda weird is that they all know Toast really well! Toast was in my Zone and left 15 days before I got here so most of them all know him!! Cool huh!

There is a really cool quote I wanna share with yall, it says, "There is No Road to Happiness, Happiness is the Road." Pretty cool huh, whenever anyone here gets down and is kinda having a rough time, we remind them of this quote. We all talk about how we just want to be like out teachers and just be fluent in Spanish asap...but that's not how it works! It's all about patience, that's the key!

My teachers here are awesome. We have two as of right now. Ones name is Hermano Kuhn and the other Hermano Frost. Frost is the coolest guy I have ever met and a major inspiration to me. He went to the Everet Washington mission English speaking but 3 months in he was asked if he knew any Spanish...he said no! So they made him become a Spanish missionary. He gives me hope! He seriously has the best Spanish I have ever heard. He is super lax and mellowed out. It pretty much is our biggest stress relivour. (Don't know is that was spelt right, but YOMO)

My Spanish is getting a lot better and I sometimes forget how to say words in English cause we talk so much Spanish. It's pretty crazy how its Valentine's Day today! What?!  Cool though!

In my Zone we do this to all the new districts called SPOF (Secret power of Foreigners) hahaha, it is so funny. Cause when all the new districts come in, there is one guy from a leaving districts acts like a foreigner and we all tell them that he is from Spain or something and cant speak ANY English. They all get sooo nervous to be around the SPOF. It is hilarious  Then we tell them on Sunday night, it's kinda just a way to welcome the new District and try to get them to speak as much Spanish as possible!

That's so cool to hear about the Trek Paps. Sounds like that will be a blast! It's pretty cool how yall are doing it as a ward! It's kinda crazy to think that I would probably be going if i didn't go on the mish early! But I'm glad I'm here. :) Thanks for sending that package to me with all the food and my watches and the shower sandals!!! Yay for shower sandals!!!! Also thanks for the news paper and mini PMG with all the cool sticky notes in it! I loved it!

Becky, It's crazy that the CRV has no one to drive it haha! I hope the horses are doing well and its not too cold :) ! haha

Ash thanks for all the awesome stuff! All of my zone thinks you send the cooolest stuff, I agree! And that little book of pics of Ava that you sent, all the hermanas here are OBSESSED with it and Ava in general! And that story of Ava and the "toot"...funniest thing I have heard in a while! Also you sent me CDS! Thanks, but I don't have a CD player! haha.

If any of you want to send me more pictures of just anything...THAT WOULD BE SA-WEEEET!

Kaydog I love you! I'm glad to hear all is going well in VA for you and I am extremely jealous of your trip to D.C. and all the cool stuff you do! You better send me pics of Costa Rica!! Woot woot! Granny I'm gald to hear eveything is going well now with Auntie, thanks for the update! I send my love to yall out there in VA.

Nam and Nampa I love yall too! You should be expecting a letter soon from me :) Thanks for writing me!

Well mi familia y amigos amo ustedes! Yo estoy gracias por todos amor de ustedes! Estoy gracais por la oprotunidad servir un mision! Amo mi mision!!

EVERYONE KEEP WRITING ME! I love to get the letters from yall! I'll try to send pictures a little later! 

See yall soon !!!

-Jayson (Elder) Schooff

YOMO!!! You Only Mission Once

FAMILY!!!!

(My pdays are in Thursdays just FYI) Wow, hello there. Ok so the MTC (or the CCM en Espanol)  is so awesome! I love it here! The first day I got here was crazy. I went to lunch with Bob and Roxy and it was so nice of them to do that! I loved it! We went to Applebees and it was a grand ol' time! haha, I was super nervous so I didn't eat that much...hahaha. But when I got the the MTC things were Rolling!!! Got to my room and met my zone and my companion! His name is Elder Allred and he is great! He actually is friends with Ammon, my roomate from BYUI! Small world here in the MTC!! haha, We didnt even have time to unpack and we went to class!! We thought we were all hot stuff cause we were new missionaries and stuff...but no! It's so hard! hahaha, We went and taught some investiagtos the first days and we got shut down SOOOOO hard! hahah, So we had to really rethink ourselves and really understand that this won't be easy, but well worth it! My zone is awesome! They are all so spiritual guys with the greatest personalities! I love them so much! 

There are a couple things that I didnt know about the MTC that I wish I knew before I came here! So for you future missionaries out there....I'm going to kinda tell you what to expect/prepare for, or what you need to do to be ready.

1) Bring shower sandals....the floors in the bathroom are nasty, at least the men's shower rooms.

2) Get ready for long fun days with LOTS of work!

3) If you think that you sit in class all day with a teacher for 8 hours you are wrong, the MTC is all about teach yourselfs or learning with your comp. It basically is about 3 hours aday with a teacher and 10 of studying by yourself! It's awesome!

4) Bring food, you get hungry at night.

5) KNOW THE DOCTRINE, I read the BOM right before I came here and I am SOOOOOO glad I did.
6) UNDERSTAND Preach My Gospel, I cannot stress this enough, I wish I  really studied it and understood it better before I came here! You are expected to have read it!

7) Don't try to wake up early before your mission. Doesn't matter. You will be so tired here that when 10:30 hits you are so excited for sleep!

8) ALWAYS SMILE! Even if you are having a horrible day, ALWAYS SMILE! Don't ever let yourself get discouraged.

9) THIS IS SOOOO IMPORTANT!!!!!!!! Have pics of your family/friends.(hint hint thanks Ash!)  Everyone wants to know about your past life. And make sure you have an address book, not just emails. Actual addresses...this is one thing I wish I did.

10) Just be ready! The MTC is great! And you are going to meet so many great people here and always have the spirit! So amazing!

I never really understood what the role of the spirit was until I got here. It helps with everything! Del don del lenguas es verdadero (the gift of tongues is true)! We have our first investigator and his name is Dorotoe. He lives in Mexico and has been to many churches but does not know which to join. My first day was last Wednesday and we started teaching on Thursday...in Spanish! hahah So crazy and so awesome! Wow. So yeah is was a lot of the time really quiet and awkward but the spririt was there. When we bore our testimonies (in Spanish) the gift of tongues helped a lot! I didn't know what I said, but Doroteo said he felt the spirit and wanted us to come back. Now we have him commited to praying vocalmente todos los dias and he reads the BOM every day. (I would recommend everyone reads that book :) )

Yo amo le CCM. It is so great and I love being on my mission! I love just fully diving into this gospel and being as happy as can be! Yeah I'm tired all the time, but it doesn't even matter cause I am happy! Just FYI I leave for LBC on the 12th of March! And we get an new Mission pres in June! And also I have my realase date, it's January 13th 2015! haha Cool huh!

Enough about me, how are all you??!?!?!?! I am pretty mad at mi familia! hahahaha, I haven't even recieved a letter from any of you!!! :( :( Except from you Ash ;) hahah Thanks for the food....sooooo good!!!

Email kinda sucks at the MTC, I can only do it every Thursday for 30 minutes, so dearelder.com me instead! I get the letters the next day you send them. Also I really want all of your actual addresses so I can send you real letters!! If you just want to dearelder.com me those that would be great.

Anyways my time is up! I love you all so much! And I can't wait to hear from you! (Dad please go over my grammar cause it sucks. I am thinking in Spanish and English so yeah, I'm kinda tripped up!)

Love you all! I'll send some pics a little later!!

Love Jayson!